Dynamic Show Stoppers & Other Brilliant Bonsai

This brilliant Satsuki azalea is from a 2015 Bay Area Satsuki Aikokai add (see below). Yesterday we featured some striking photos from the Golden State Bonsai Federation. Today we’ve got some even more striking photos from a 2015 post we did on GSBF. Continued below… Bonsai Tool Sale Ends Tomorrow Night 30% to 35% off Roshi BONSAI Tools Roshi Bonsai Tools are famous for precision cuts, durability, beauty & great prices Roshi Sale Ends tomorrow, Sunday, Feb 19th at 11:59pm EST This dynamic show stopper with its massive deadwood swirl is one of many large bonsai from the private … Continue reading Dynamic Show Stoppers & Other Brilliant Bonsai

Drifting…

What a great photo. The tree is a Japanese black pine from post titled ‘The Dark Horse’ on the Bjorvala Bonsai Studio blog. The full tree and pot are shown below. Busy day today, so it’s a good time to dig back into our archives. This one originally appeared in 2013. It was titled ‘Drifting a Little Farther Afield.’ There’s really not much theme with this post, other than a digital tour of some bonsai blogs/websites. So we’ll leave it at that… except to say that we’re drifting a little farther afield than we usually do. Continued below… Yoshiaki Japanese … Continue reading Drifting…

Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

This knotted pine, along with the two pines below, were recently posted by Frank Cucchiara. Frank doesn’t say anything about them (they look like Japanese black pines), but based on what we know about Frank, we can assume they are his. This post was going to be short and simple. Three pines borrowed from Frank Cucchiara. But, suddenly, after a little research, we’ve got a tribute to Frank’s bonsai. Continued below… 8.50 for 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire IS Too Good to Pass UP 13.50 less 30% = 9.45 per roll if your total order is 100.00+ then it’s … Continue reading Three Pines, a Prize Winning Olive & a Great Display by One of Only Two Americans to Exhibit at the 2014 Kokufu

Japanese Black Pine 100% Made in America

“This exposed root Japanese black pine is a beautiful blend of Japanese sensibility and American craftsmanship…. Obviously it’s a Japanese species, and it’s hard to argue that several of the styling cues are based on Japanese bonsai. However, this tree is 100% made in America. The tree itself, started from seed and grown as bonsai material in California. The pot, hand made by American potter Dale Cochy, circa 2004. All brought together, styled and finished by me, an American bonsai artists trained in Japan. An exciting collision of several worlds and a respectful nod to all things bonsai from US … Continue reading Japanese Black Pine 100% Made in America

A Rock, Heavily Furrowed Bark, Ramification & a Well Developed Nebari

At first glace I thought the rock that sticks out on the right was part of the trunk. But a closer look (see below) confirms the strong suspicion that it’s a rock. And in case you’re wondering, the tree is the King of bonsai, a Japanese black pine. We’ve been borrowing great photos of Japanese bonsai from Micheal Bonsai for a long time now. I’m not sure where he gets them, but most are superb. The best of the Japanese trees… which are often simply the best. SITE WIDE SALE 20% TO 25% OFF EVERYTHING* You can see the rock … Continue reading A Rock, Heavily Furrowed Bark, Ramification & a Well Developed Nebari

Bonsai Monarch

Full cascade Japanese black pine (Pinus thumbergii). Japanese for Black pine is Kuromatsu (kuro is black and matsu is pine). Busy trying to keep up with the much-stronger-than-anticipated results of our 20% off Site Wide Sale, so once again we’ll call up a favorite from our archives. Japanese black pines are sometimes referred to a the king of bonsai. This may be in part due to their natural strength; they tend to have powerful trunks and thick lush foliage. Rugged bark doesn’t hurt either. King or not, the best of the black pines are undeniably among the most powerful bonsai … Continue reading Bonsai Monarch

Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Cover tree from Fine Bonsai (see below) 25% off Bonsai Book Sale ends tomorrow night (Monday) at 11:59pm EDT Bonsai Wire Sales also end Monday night 30% off 500 gram rolls of Bonsai Wire 30% off 1 lb rolls of Copper Bonsai Wire 30% off Yoshiaki Japanese Bonsai Wire Plus an Extra 5% off orders 100.00+ FREE Shipping on U.S. orders 50.00 plus The cover The tree is a Sargent juniper (aka Shimpaku) The artist is Seiji Morimae The pot is by Adachi Choka list price for the book is 150.00 only 107.00 with current sales plus FREE Shipping in … Continue reading Bonsai Book & Wire Sales End Monday Night

Johnny’s Stellar Saikei

This stellar Saikei by Johnny Uchida was sent to us by Noah (no last name). Johnny Uchida is the owner of Grove Way Nursery in Hayward, California. Still recovering from my all too short (one week) vacation, so we’ll dig back into our archives. This one is from all the way back to 2010. Here what Noah (see caption above) has to say about this planting: “This saikei was done by Johnny Uchida of Grove Way Bonsai as an example for beginning students. Mr. Uchida is the sensei of Yamato Bonsai Kai in Northern California. The trees are cryptomeria and … Continue reading Johnny’s Stellar Saikei

Black Pine Bonsai – Before & After (Seriously)

A Japanese black pine after some serious trimming. If you look at the photo just below, you might notice that there has also been some serious needle reduction. The tree and the photos in this post belong to Boon Manakitivipart (aka Bonsai Boon). The first two photos shown here provide a simple before and after on a Japanese black pine. As you can see it’s a remarkable tree. I was especially taken with the deeply striated bark and the way it flows into the nebari. Another thing that struck me about this tree is just how far American bonsai has … Continue reading Black Pine Bonsai – Before & After (Seriously)

A Snake, A Monster & A Well-Groomed Black Pine Bonsai

This has to be one of the most unique Japanese black pines anywhere. I can’t help but think of a monster with two gnarled feet lurching along. Now, if you can put that image out of your mind, you might enjoy the ancient bark and wonderfully confusing movement of the trunks. All three Japanese black pine bonsai shown here belong to Fumio Ideue, owner of Ideue Kikkoen Bonsai Garden in Shikoku, Japan. We borrowed most of this post from a post titled King of Bonsai that originally appeared here in December, 2013. Snake. Looks like this was taken in the … Continue reading A Snake, A Monster & A Well-Groomed Black Pine Bonsai